A Community Wedding

A single wedding is a significant occasion in the life of a couple, but the wedding of 153 couples at once is nothing short of a societal shift!  On Saturday I witnessed such an occasion as our Batwa friends took a step toward reclaiming their tradition and stabilizing their community life.

We arrived, driving under a flowered garland arch, to the square government building.  We were greeted by singing and dancing, as if we were the honored guests!  But we have grown fond of their joyful hospitality, so we sway with their songs, stomping feet and whistles.  But then we want to move into the building and see what is afoot.  We enter the large room and find all 153 couples crammed in this room, moving two by two as they processed forward to sign their official marriage documents.  After the signing and fingerprinting (part of the Burundian civil process of documentation) comes the picture taking.  And so everyone wants to have their picture taken with the President.  (President Nkurunziza is framed, set on a chair draped with the Burundian flag, this is the backdrop of choice!)
You might notice that the brides are in bright clothes - gifts from our friends in Texas!  Each bride received a fabric for the ceremony, but she will use this as a skirt for years to come.      

Another interesting thing to note is that 100 of the couples were already living together, already with children.  Some are pregnant, many had their babies strapped to their back!  There were even a few grandmothers who were, for the day, blushing brides!
The reality is that as the Batwa people were forced from their land, many of their traditions eroded under the harsh conditions of poverty and discrimination.  Marriage was one.  So coupes would marry at night, in the dark, avoiding any community accountability.  This left women extremely vulnerable.  They would often be thrown out with no recourse, no proof of their union and now way to be protected.  Some men would take multiple wives, neglecting previous wives.  Often families would have open animosity toward one another due to the way their daughters or sisters were treated by other men.  This began to ripe the fabric of the community.  There was no family stability, no communal accountability, no provision for women if they were turned out.  That is why this massive marriage ceremony was so important in the life of this community.  This is a way to mend the fabric of this community, to bring some healing to families and some protection for women.  Making it official before the local Governor and even the President (who sent his representatives) gives them standing in the community.  But this ceremony before God and their community was even more important for a shift in this Batwa society.
This signals a shift in how they see family, how they want to treat one another, how they will relate with one another.  I hope that the children present will begin to reclaim their marriage tradition, and that they will begin to see family life in a new way.  I pray that these women will be well treated by their husbands, and now protected if the worst happens.  I hope the Batwa community is being mended in ways that matter, ways that will make them stronger.
Note:  Here is Claude surrounded by the Batwa couples.  He offered a wonderful encouragement to the couples about love that is faithful, kind and sacrifices for the other. 

When he pointed me out as his wife, the couples in the back stood up to see me.  I guess a muzungu wife is still a novelty!  These friends wanted us in their wedding pictures... which made us all laugh.  But I guess that is something distinctive, having white guests at your wedding.  Glad we could oblige... maybe it was our small way of participating in this amazing day!  Congratulations to all the happy couples!

A New Economy

There is no Biblical scholar who has taught me more, pushed me harder, stretched my imagination further or drove me deeper into Truth than Walter Brueggeman.  A student and scholar of the Old Testament, he is relentlessly committed to the truths on display at every turn of the page and at every corner.  He does not back down.  He is like the prophets he exegetes, in many ways.  You may not like the truth, but it will not move to suit you because it is not up for your negotiation.  So there are hard, beautiful, awe-inspiring truths to learn, and none better to learn from than him.  

Today I downloaded a recent sermon that he preached at Mars Hill Church in Michigan (available on itunes).  I was, yet again, taught and pushed and stretched and reduced to tears.  Truth tends to provoke tears in me, and so this is no surprise that I would react this way!  

Brueggeman spoke of the failed economy and God's vision for a new economy.  Was he referring to Fannie May and Freddie Mac or Jerusalem?  Yes.  He was sharing that these economies are broken and in need of fresh imagination to reshape them.  And he recites Isaiah... who seems to think that God cares about economics in the city.  Yes, God cares about worship.  But do we recall that He also cares about justice in the city, inclusive neighborliness on our streets and generous economics in the urban areas?  If we worship a god who does not care about economics - then our god is too small, and we may find he is not the great God of the Bible.  As I said, you will be pushed and stretched.

It brings me back to the Batwa.  Justice, neighborliness and economics for the Batwa communities of Burundi, this matters to God.  Advocating for their education, negotiating better land for their future, creating a space for their voice to be heard by those in power - these are activities that I believe God blesses, endorses and even rejoices over.  Learning to be loving neighbors to the Batwa is part of following Jesus in Burundi, at least for me.  

All this to say that an Old Testament scholar has deeply encouraged me and wrung more tear out of me, again.  Economics matter to the Batwa, to Isaiah and... to God.  Therefore, economics matter to me.  Once we are stretched in such ways we really cannot go back to our former shape...  Sigh.

New place, same hardship

Sunday we ventured to visit our Batwa friends again.  They have moved, just a few days ago, to the next pot of land the government has designated for them.  This is not a gift, it is temporal.

For a month they have been clearing a land and preparing to build new shelters.  They finally made the move. The land is dry.  They are far from water, far from the elementary school and far from the road to work.  It is quite a miserable situation.
We traveled there with Liberate and Sibitwa.  You might recall that Liberate is a minister in the government and Sibitwa is the oldest (therefore the most respected) Twa in Burundi.  Both are members of our committee for the community development project.  They barely made their way up the hillside before they got the news...  The Batwa have already been told to move again.  They just are moving in, still building some places to sleep.  Yet they have already been told to dismantle their structure and move over the hill, to the backside where others won't be able to see them.  There is another poor piece of land for them to clear... and no promise of any longevity.  The Batwa have no recourse.  They lament.  But when we all arrive, they move from the deep sighs of hardship and break into the dance of hospitality.  Even amid their pain, they stop to welcome us, to clap, sing, and dance.  
Here our friend, Terry, gets close with one of the youngest Twa friends.  The mamas seem so tickled by his interest and tenderness.  After feeling so much disregard and disrespect by their government and countrymen - this simple kindness must feel revolutionary.  Someone came to visit us, to see us... and he sat with us and laughed with our children and connected with us as people, as friends.  Sometimes the very simple things restore dignity.

Pray for our Batwa friends as they remain in a very hard place.  Pray that soon there will be land, longevity, home.  We are working with the committee, with local leadership....  but we will need God's presence with us to see a better future come to these friends.

Batwa Students, in their own words

These are the stories of two Batwa secondary students we recently filmed.   As you can see, it can take many years for students to matriculate, and so while they look older they really are in high school.  We filmed several students, but these two stories captivated me.  We take going to school for granted - free education, ample food to sustain us, parents to encourage us.  But these students have little of what we would consider basic necessities when they consider school.  We are hoping to help 40 secondary students this September...  We are trying to assist them in raising funds for school fees, uniforms, books, etc.  But we are also hoping to rent some homes where they can live together and have the support of some adults, from one another, as well as access to electricity so they can study and food to fill their stomachs.  

So let me introduce Jean Baptiste and Diana.  Claude translated their stories for me, and I pass that on to you.

John Baptiste

What is surprising is that the Batwa students are always among the first in school, top of their class.  They work hard to overcome their difficulties.  So the question is why don't we stay in school?  The answer:  we come from very poor families.  It is hard to get enough money for school fees, books and food.  Then you come home after school, there is no food to eat.  And even when you get books, keeping them dry becomes a problem in this situation.  We grew up seeing our parents make pots and sell them for a living but today you just can't sell pots in a world where China has invaded us with cheap plastic pots.  We have no market for our pots and therefore no future for our parents, no future for us.

So the idea of having  home for the Batwa students where we could live and be supported is like a dream to me.  In September the school year will begin, but we don't see were the school books will come from, or the uniforms to wear to school or the money for the school fees... When I talk with fellow Batwa students, my friends, I hear them say "The way things look at home right now, I don't think I will be in school this coming year."

So my request to you, friends, is that you help us if you can.  We need books, school fees, uniforms and, if possible, housing for the students.  I really think a home for us would be vital because not only will we be together to support each other but we would have you who love us. We will have food - because it is hard to go to school if you haven't eaten for 3 days.

Diana

What I share is the challenge that Batwa women students face.  Because of the extreme poverty, we are pressured to get married and start a family instead of going to school.  Going to a husband becomes the solution that our parents have for us as women.  So as much as you want to go to school, as much as you realize that education is your way out, the pressure from home and neighbors is so strong that more and more women decide to give up.  We try to teach others and encourage them to stay in school but when you hear some of their stories, it is hard to know what else to do.  We need your help.

Landless

In America we are familiar, we think, with the plight of the homeless.  In Burundi, the most extreme form of dislocation is to be landless.  When you are without land you are, by most local estimations, without hope.  No land means that there is none in your family that will pass down to you or that you can share in.  When you are in this unfortunate disposition, you have no place to build a home, no plot of soil to plant-grow-harvest food, no parcel to designate for a cash crop to support your family, no inheritance for your children.  You are at the mercy of society, at the mercy of strangers and at the mercy of the seasons (be it rain, scorching heat, or other natural conditions).

Here, to be landless is to be dispossessed.  What future can be imagined apart from land, from a place to be rooted?  You take the land you can get your hands on - as a tenant farmer with little reward and not enough food for your family.  Or maybe you wander the streets of the city looking for some work, maybe you serve in someone else's home to provide enough money to feed your children.  If you are like the Batwa people, maybe the government gives you some sterile piece of land to inhabit - temporarily.

Our Batwa friends in Bubanza live on such a piece of land.  It is dry as a bone, far from any water source, hanging on the side of a road.  They are but temporary residents here, so all structures are provisional, at best.  No infrastructure can be invested in land that is not yours to develop.  How can you be settled?  How can you plan for a future from this place?  (This is a rhetorical question, because to walk this village you know that a future is no where in sight.)

Israel was deeply connected to the land.  (If you are in doubt, read Walter Brueggeman's eloquent and insightful book The Land.)  They were people connected to a place, it was a definitive feature of their self-understanding.  The period of wandering in the desert was an arid season for the Hebrews in large part because they were landless.  They were wandering, disconnected, without a place, nomads getting nowhere fast.  Their hope was in God's word, His promise of... land.  So while they were often disoriented and in despair, they could cling to the hoped-for Promised Land.  From the desert there were moments of clarity... vistas that opened their eyes to the land that would be theirs someday.  They did have a future, if only they could reach the Promised Land.

As I consider the importance of land to a Burundian, it is so similar to Israel's own need to be grounded, to have a physical place to cultivate a future.  Our Batwa friends are disoriented and dislocated right now, a landless people in their own country.  They stand to inherit none, they cannot afford to purchase any.  And as Burundi's population now is close to 9 million, there is little available land for anyone.  So many parcels of land are disputed, several families claiming them and fighting for them.  So what hope is there that acreage will be found for the Batwa to settle.  Do they have a Promised Land in their future?  Can they dream, and hope and cling to a promise as Israel did their 40 years wandering in the desert?

I believe that there is a Promised Land for the Batwa.  I believe that God is bringing a blessed land into their possession in the coming season.  I believe that the season of dislocation will soon come to an end, and they will inherit land.  This will come as a gift from the government, but not without the fervent advocacy of friends and prayers of many.  And it won't come without some contending with the powers that be, as no one is eager to give up land for 'the least of these.'  But something is coming for the Batwa... and many of you are part of that promised future.  We are praying for, believing for, waiting for the Promised Land!

Filming in Bubanza

We spend Sunday filming in Bubanza.  We loaded a bus, along with 20 Batwa secondary students, for a 40 minute ride to this Batwa village in Bubanza.  The students were so excited, as if going on a field trip.  They were singing, giggling and laughing the entire way... so filled with expectation.  These students are quite unique, as few Batwa make it to secondary school.  I was aware that I was amid an esteemed group, that I was on the bus with these students bursting with potential.  

As they sang, I was overcome with emotion and could not hide my tears.  I felt like there was this very holy thing happening as we drove together - that we were beginning a journey together that was more than just a Sunday drive.  We were beginning a partnership with these friends, saying we wanted to see them succeed, that we were committed to them and their families and their people.  Most people do not see a bus full of Batwa and think of potential... but I felt like I was feeling what God was doing in them, what He wants to do in them and through them.  In a way, I felt like I was seeing what most miss, I was seeing what is invisible to many outside the bus.  

Claude often says, "Something is wanting to happen in Africa."  I felt that... something is wanting to happen with the Batwa people, with this one village, with this busload of Batwa students.  So I share with my friends and hope that you will hope with me, pray with me, believe with me that God is doing something for the Batwa.  Maybe you are even part of it!

We arrived to the village and were met with loud and joyful singing.  These friends were so glad to have visitors, as most people forget the Batwa and never come to call. So they danced and sang and welcomed us with such excitement.  With us were the 2 Batwa parliament members, and they introduced these students to this very poor village.  It was like a Batwa family reunion with all these friends gathered!  But the secondary students shared their stories, to encourage the primary students in this poor village.  And the government leaders encouraged the parents to help their students to succeed, to see that they can progress to secondary levels, and to show that there are others (us, you) who believe in them and will help them.  It was wonderful to see the Batwa community coming together to encourage one another, to be strategic about the need to invest in education for their collective future, and sharing in some good news together.

We filmed parts of this for a video we will be sending to our friends, Community of Faith, in Texas.  They share our love for the Batwa and want to share the stories of these amazing students in an effort to raise school fees for them to continue in their studies this September. 

We are so blessed to have others who want to encourage the Batwa, to join in this new thing God is doing for them and their children.

Looking for Land...

We were out on the road again today - looking for land for the Batwa Community.  This is not the first parcel we have investigated, and may not be the last, but this is part of the process. This particular plot is already fertile ground for cotton, as you can see.  Through the dusty brush and grass you could see these bright white orbs like gems in pronged settings... catching the sun and radiating alabaster beauty.  I never knew cotton could be so stunning - before reaching a tailor or fashion house for shaping!  But cotton is not the best crop for sustainability, we are thinking rice will better suit the local market, the growing climate and such.  Rice demands ample water for frequent irrigation, and that is one downside to this land.  Water is nearby, but not close enough to make this land our gem!  Well... with the investment of some infrastructure, maybe.  But we are not done looking yet for the best place for our Twa friends to relocate, rebuild and renew their lives.  

Just 2 kilometers up the road is the Batwa Village that we will be partnering with for this project.  The photo above shows just a snapshot of this village, perched on the side of a road. Imagine a home on the shoulder of the main road in your city, imagine your children playing there, you cooking outside with the fumes of exhaust lingering in the air, with no privacy or protection from the elements or passers by.   This would not be suitable housing for us, nor is it for our Twa friends.  So you can see why it is important to go looking for land - to find a better place for them that will offer good housing, fertile soil for gardens and land that can sustain a new economy.

Visiting the Twa

This weekend we traveled up country and off road, deep into the countryside to visit a Batwa village in the heart of this lush, green country.  Our driver... the Honorable Etienne Ndayishimiye, a member of Parliament and a Twa man, a dear friend (he is pictured here to the right of Claude).  He was eager to take us to see more Twa friends, to learn more about how they live and what they need to advance in the coming years.  Also along for the journey was Evariste Ndikumana, a university student (one of only two Twa in university in the entire country) and Grace Scale (living abroad with us this summer before she begins university in AZ).  

We swerved and swayed,  bumped and jostled as we made our way to the village.  We stirred up more than dust with our visit... the mzungus caught the attention of everyone we passed.  We were to discover that many people who live this deep in the country do not often, if ever, venture to Bujumbura.  This means that many have never seen a white-skinned person; maybe they have seen one in a distant car careening by, but not up close!  Not one walking with them, worshipping with them and close enough to reach out and touch...  Grace and I were novelties, and we had (quite literally, as you can see) a following. 

But we know that the true gravitas was with Etienne, as a member of Parliament he will be able to represent them, to effect change for them, to give them great hope by his visit.  And Evariste, who asked so many kids about school, shared his own story with them about enduring elementary school, staying in secondary school and now undertaking university.  You could see the kids eyes grow with surprise... a Twa in university!  He learned that in this local village, only one child was still in secondary school (high school).  The Twa are very poor, and can seldom afford school fees.  And if they can find money for fees, few can endure the ridicule of other children - Twa are treated with contempt and disgust by most Hutu and Tutsi people.  So you can imagine what school must be like - when you are poor, made fun of and no one expects much of you anyways.  Not many have the fortitude (or encouragement) to press on, and so across the entire country of Burundi only 400 are in elementary school, fewer in secondary levels and two (2) in university.  So Evariste's story can be an encouragement, and Etienne's presence can give them hope.  The Twa are blessed with leaders who are paving the way, and making sure that others have access to it for a better future.

We have become part of this... as friends.  We can share the story, we can make sure they are seen, we can work to help bring a better future for the Twa.  

See the older woman crafting a pot?  This is a proud Batwa tradition... pot making.  Sadly, there is little market for her pots anymore as the market is now flooded with plastic and metal vessels from overseas.  So she works on these beautiful, perfectly symmetrical pots and can expect 0.20 for each.  Practically, this is not enough to be considered currency.  All she can now do with her pots is trade or barter for food - two large pots and one small one will get her 5 kilos of cassava.  Not much money, not much food, not much hope.  But see her smile - she is lovely and we need to see her and encourage her.  

Please remember our Batwa friends.  Remember them in your hearts, your prayers, and your growing understanding of Burundi and those who comprise the population of this land.

Hosting Friends

Last night we hosted dear friends in our home... 5 friends from the Batwa tribe.  Two of our guests are Parliament Ministers, representing the Batwa at the highest level of government. One is the eldest Batwa in Burundi, a man of great honor among his people.  Two are university students - rare among the Batwa community.  This was an amazing group to host, and we were humbled and delighted by their company.  Liberate (seen center in the above photo) was the first Batwa member of Parliament.  She shared her story, of ridicule and shame and heart ache growing up Twa.  In Burundi, the Twa make up less than 1% of the population.  While the Hutu and Tusti have open hostilities toward one another, they share a mutual distain for the Batwa tribe and make their life one filled with ridicule, disadvantage and poverty of the most extreme sort.  But God has not forsaken or forgotten the Batwa, and neither have we.  As a matter of fact, these are our friends whom we will be working with over the next season to bring about hope to a Batwa community of 70 families.  I will share more later... but we were blessed to host our Batwa friends last night.  You need to know about them, to pray for them, to celebrate what God is doing for them!